The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-03-12
THE IRISH STANDARD: SATURDAY. MARCH u, 1887.
, AMONG THE MoRMoNs.

AMONG THE MoRMoNs.
Descrlpt. on of the Salt Lake Tabernaol.
and the Services Held Therein.
A lady correspondent of the Boston Tran
script visited, among other places OF interest
at Salt Lake City, the Tabernacle, where
the religious services are held. According
to her description the building is surround
ed by high wall which ikcloses a very
large space, within which the Endowment
House and the new temple, then in process
of erection, also stand. The tabernacle is
an enormous building, eliptical in shape,
built of wood and with round roof, sup
ported on many columns, which surround
the exterior of the building. There are an
Incredible number Of exits, and though the
building holds twelve thousand people. we
were assured that IN one minute and half
it could be emptied. Shabby as was the
exterior of the implanted building, the in-
terror was even more dreary. The roof
was thickly hung with g'rlands which
were green six years ago waen they were
hung in honor of some spe ial ceremony,
and paper flowers of the me date were
scattered profusely about. here is wide
gallery running round thr sides Of the
building, and the floor slopes IN such aman-
ner as to allow those sitting in the rear to
command good view of the pulpits. The
body of the tabernacle is occupied by ordi-
nary pews, but in the middle of the build
ing is a large tank, guarded by four terra
Gotta beasts, which we were told were
lions. During the services fountain
springs from the center of the tank. l
could not learn the significance of this now
ell feature, if significance it has. One lady
told me that they Thought it pleasant
thing to have fountain playing during
services, so-they had it." Vere the tab.
ernacle temperance stronghold, this iba-
ton would have seemed more appropriate.
At one end Of the building is platform
with three tables, one above the other,
which are called pulpits. At the highest
one sit the president and two of his coun-
cilors; the second one is reserved for the
twelve apostles, and on ne lowest the
communion is administered every Sunday,
water being substituted for wine. At the
hotel we had met with gentleman of He
brew extraction who, in describing the
services which he had witnessed on the
previous Sunday, said: "And then the
apostle broke bread up into little silver
cake baskets and poured water into the
cups, which they handed round among the
congregation. AS the people all took some
of these refreshments, followed their
example, though what it all meant I
COULDN'T find out for the life of me-"
On each side of the pulpits were mum.
Der of benches, which the guardian told us
s'were reserved for those of the brethren
who were hard of hearing" At the back
of the platform stands the organ, which is
the glory and pride Of the saints, who
claim that it is only second in size among
American organs. It is really very hand
some, rejecting great credit on the native
designer, for the entire organ was made at
Salt Lake City. The acoustic properties OF
the tabernacle are very remarkable.
Standing at the extreme end of the gall
lery, we heard pin drop upon the plat
form and the sound of q low whisper with
perfect distinctions. At convenient point
stand several large barrels of water with
tin cups attach, /, for the benefit Of the
thirsty ones in the assembly. The relig-
ious exercises are held in the tabernacle
on Sunday TIL consist of the singing of
hymns, prayer from the president and a
sermon from some one of the apostles.
The subjects treated from the Mormon
pulpit cover very wide. range, including
all temporal as we'll as spiritual points OF
interest. A writer on this subject says:
ssIn the great tabernacle one will hear SER
mons or advice on the culture of sorghum,
infant baptism, upon the best manure for
:abbages, upon the perseverance OF the
saints, upon the wickedness of the skim
ming of milk be ore its sale, upon the best
method Of cleaning water bitches, upon bed
bug poison, upon the price OF real estate,
upon the teething of children, upon the
martyrs and prosecutions Of the Church, ter
0f
enemies of the Mormons, upon olive oil as
a cure for measles, upon the ordination Of
the priesthood, upon the character of Mel
chisidec, upon abstinence from plug tobac.
co, upon chignons, upon twenty-fve-yard
dresses, upon plural marriage, ETC."
OF the teaching of Christ md his follow
ers little is said or thought among the Nor
mons. They accept the New Testament
tacitly, but Joseph SIN. Oh was their
prophet, the Book of Mormon later rev.
elation, and from it and the Old Testa-
ment the texts Of their liscourses are
taken Abraham is the spiritual character
most dear to them, and Sarah is the wom-
an who is held. up as a shining light to the
sssisters Of the Church"
Leaving the Tabernacle, our next visit
was to the new temple, a beautiful build
ing then in process of erection. The mate
rial used in it's construction is peculiar
black and white granite quarrled from one
of the mountains near by. This editice is
to be reserved for the &C more sacred rites
of baptism and endowment" we learned,
marking that the ceremony of sealing
or endowment for so they designate
the marriage ceremony, is considered
by them more sacred than the
services in praise of the Gre
ator. The ceremony of endowment is one
that no Gentle is allowed to witness. On
asking one of the Mormon ladies whom we
met the nature of its rites, she said: "The
ceremony of sealing differs from the mar
rage ceremonies in the world, in this par
ticular-that with us it unites the husband
and wife throughout all eternity, instead
of being only for time, and consequently
is termed celestial marriage. The wife's
vow of obedience to her husband is not
included in the ceremony at all, so that it